Sri Lankan Leopard

Description:

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), colloquially known as Kotiya (කොටියා) in Sinhala and Puli in Tamil, is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka. Classified as Endangered by IUCN, the population is believed to be declining due to numerous threats including poaching for trade and human-leopard conflicts. Due to a nomenclature mishap that occurred in the late 1980s, "kotiyā" has now become the colloquial Sinhala term for tiger, and "diviyā" (දිවියා) is used for the leopard. See below for more information. The Sri Lankan leopard is one of the nine known leopard subspecies. Its coat is tawny or rusty yellow, stamped with dark spots and rosettes. Seven females averaged a weight of 29 kg; males averaged 56 kg, with the largest being 77 kg Like most cats, the Sri Lanka leopard is pragmatic in its choice of diet which can include small mammals, birds, reptiles as well as larger animals. Axis or spotted deer make up the majority of its diet in the dry zone. The animal also preys on sambar, barking deer, wild boar and monkeys.The cat has been known to tackle almost fully grown buffalos. The Sri Lankan leopard hunts like other leopards, silently stalking its prey until it is within striking distance where it unleashes a burst of speed to quickly pursue and pounce on its victim. The prey is usually dispatched with a single bite to the throat. A study in Yala National Park indicates that Sri Lankan leopards are not any more social than other leopard subspecies. They are solitary hunters, with the exception of females with young. Both sexes live in overlapping territories with the ranges of males overlapping the smaller ranges of several females, as well as overlapping the ranges of neighbouring males. They prefer hunting at night, but are also active during dawn and dusk, and daytime hours. They rarely haul their kills into trees, which is likely due to the lack of competition and the relative abundance of prey. Since leopards are the apex predators they don't need to protect their prey

Habitat:

The Sri Lankan leopard is the country's top predator. Little has been known about it in the past, but ongoing studies in the framework of The Leopard Project, run by The Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust, indicate that they are still distributed throughout the island both inside and outside of protected areas. The leopard has been observed in a variety of habitats including dry evergreen monsoon forest, arid scrub jungle, low and upper highland forest, rainforest, and wet zone intermediate forests. A recent study has shown that Yala National Park has one of the highest recorded densities of leopards in the world, although this animal is still considered to be endangered. The Wilpattu National Park is also known as a good place to watch leopards. Leopards tend to be more readily observed in parts of Sri Lanka than in other countries where they share their habitat with more dominant competitors, such as lions or hyaenas.

Notes:

I took this in really Bad time there is know good light Sun is comming down and used it Aperture Priorty With A Sandbag As to Assit the Shake OF the Camera This is the Only Picture That Is good